


A Simple Trick

by Darkhymns



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Childhood, F/M, Gen, Humor, Memories, Pets, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26275336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns
Summary: "Alright, Noishe!" Lloyd's voice carried so clearly through the air, that if they were in any position to hide, he'd have revealed their location easily. (This wasn't just a case of Kratos’ amplified hearing – the boy truly was -that- loud). "Shake!"Still, he really shouldn't have been surprised by what he saw. After all, he had seen that same look on another familiar face before.In which Noishe refuses to learn a trick, and how Kratos has to help both mother and son on how to teach him.
Relationships: Anna/Kratos Aurion
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	A Simple Trick

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Krannaweek, Family day! I came up with this at last minute but I hope it fits, and also forever hope I got Anna alright haha.

“Watch this, Colette,” spoke a familiar voice that reached Kratos’ ears. The scene he would witness today was too curious for him to ignore, even if he had wanted to.

Just moments before, the Chosen’s group had decided to stop for the midday, just off the road past Hakonesia Peak. After all of the roundabout dealing with the greedy old man at the stop, Kratos had been ready to just tell everyone where they should be heading off to next. But maybe the delay was better in the long run, seeing the tension ease from shoulders. It had already been a very long journey, with only two released seals under their belts.

Genis was preparing their lunch, while Raine curiously looked over the cooking pot he was fanning, whispering words to him occasionally that instantly made the boy pale. Lloyd and Colette were off to the side, their forms seeming so bright against the already bright sky that stretched out in patterns of blue and red from the sunshine. And with them both was…

"Alright, Noishe!" Lloyd's voice carried so clearly through the air, that if they were in any position to hide, he'd have revealed their location easily. (This wasn't just a case of Kratos’ amplified hearing – the boy truly was _that_ loud). "Shake!"

He really shouldn't have been surprised by what he saw. After all, he had seen that same look on another familiar face before.

Lloyd, face set in concentration, eye level with the giant animal seated before him, was holding out his hand. Noishe’s bushy tail swished against the ground, bringing up stray grass stalks and dust to gather in the air around him. Lloyd didn’t focus on that. He only focused on his own hand, eyes moving downwards towards the giant paws placed against the ground. Colette, meanwhile, was standing near, giving Lloyd her silent support, though Kratos could see how much she kept herself from petting Noishe just then.

A flick of giant ears, followed by a soft whine. Kratos knew that whine too well.

"Go on! You can do it!" Lloyd waved his outstretched hand a little to catch his pet’s attention. “And…shake!”

 _That’s not how you will get him to do it,_ Kratos thought, quickly making sure to not say it out loud. It had almost been too reflexive…

But he wasn’t surprised then that Noishe, gentle Arshis that he was, didn’t exactly listen to the boy. He always just chose those moments he would instead. So instead, Noishe looked at Lloyd with dark and curious eyes, flicking his ears once more to swat away at a wandering mosquito. And then, from the dust his own tail had pushed up, he promptly sneezed right into Lloyd’s face.

The mixture of sound; Colette’s soft laughter, Noishe whining turning up a pitch higher, and Lloyd sputtering, made Kratos focus more on the scene than he had meant to. But he didn’t mind it

"Agh! I know you can understand me!" Lloyd whined. He wiped at his face with the back of his hand, flicking a quick embarrassed look towards Colette until he stood before Noishe again. Another stretch of his arm. “Just shake! It’s easy!”

Noishe sniffed at Lloyd’s hand, pausing for a moment as his tail wagged. Then, seeing nothing else to do, Noishe turned away, heading right for Kratos.

“Hey! He doesn’t even have any treats for you!”

“Or maybe he has treats hidden?” Colette questioned, looking a little sad Noishe had left them now.

Kratos had made sure just then to turn away, making the motion of checking his sword. He could already see Lloyd deeply suspecting him to have treats to steal away his pet. “Don’t be foolish. Keep in mind we may need to head out soon. It’s not wise to exhaust your pet, as we depend on him to help carry our supplies.”

“What?! I was just trying to teach him a trick!” Lloyd said in all huffiness, crossing his arms. “What do you know anyway? You said you don’t even like animals!”

As if on cue, Noishe went to Kratos’ side, curling up beside him and burying his nose in his tail. Instantly peaceful, his head clearly inviting a pet, but Kratos could restrain himself.

“But Noishe really seems to like Mr. Kratos!” Colette’s words did little to comfort a betrayed and suspicious Lloyd, still keeping his arms locked in his huffy stance. “Maybe you have to give him a treat first to make him shake.”

“Hm, but that’s not how Dad does it… Food _always_ makes you want to do stuff!” But even as Lloyd said it, Noishe continued to nap quietly, long legs twitching every once in a while. “Maybe I fed him too much earlier.”

“Are you sure you’re not just pushing your own wants on him?” Kratos suggested. “Have patience. Dinner will be ready.”

“Ugh, I wasn’t even complaining about that…” But a low stomach grumble could be heard, again not needing Kratos’ heightened hearing. “We just climbed a big mountain! Of course I’m hungry!”

“Did you want my share, Lloyd? I don’t mind giving it to you!”

“Colette, you need to eat, too, you dork…”

Kratos felt a decision hovering between thoughts in his mind, balanced and careful. He swallowed before finally speaking. “Perhaps I know of a way to make him listen,” he said.

Lloyd, having been distracted, turned to Kratos with wide eyes. “Huh? But how… Wait, do you _actually_ have treats on you?”

Even Colette looked shocked. Kratos felt like he had put himself in a strange position just now…

“No, I do not. I simply mean going a different way about teaching Noishe the trick.” He paused, seeing the look on Lloyd’s face. “It has nothing to do with food.”

“Darn… thought I had you figured out.” Lloyd looked also on the cusp of his own decision, one that Kratos dared not push. “Um… I guess if you want?” He turned to Colette, silently asking for her thoughts. She blinked at him in wonder before smiling gently.

“It would be fun for Noishe to learn! Right, Lloyd?”

Kratos didn’t realize he’d feel as nervous as right now, all for the chance to teach Lloyd a simple dog trick. Noishe’s ears had flicked throughout the conversation. _Enjoying this talk about yourself?_ Kratos couldn’t help but think.

“Well, okay! But it better not be some trick just to lecture me or something…” Lloyd said. He scratched the back of his neck, fidgeted on his feet, then looked towards the place where Raine and Genis still gathered. “After dinner then!”

“Of course. I will join you both shortly.” Kratos nodded, still pretending he was fixing up his sword.

Still having a flush on his face, Lloyd and Colette turned away to check on dinner. Kratos saw their smiles afterwards, warm and carefree. And as they were distracted with one another, he allowed himself one small liking.

Lowering his hand, he patted Noishe’s head. The animal made a small thrumming noise in his throat, leaning into that hand. “You still like to tease others like that, don’t you?”

Noishe opened one eye, looking at Kratos, before closing it quick. He only wanted more petting, after all.

“I’ll teach him then. I suppose he really doesn’t remember..." And even if he felt a soft melancholy from saying so, there was still something fresh and exciting in what he could provide.

She had said he could, after all.

* * *

.

.

.

By the time that Kratos had finally come back to their camp, scouting out for any possible followers, night had practically fallen. They had chosen to reside within a small glade, enclosed by bent trees, and a small pond nearby, as clear polished glass. Fireflies would flicker in and out of the air before drifting away, sometimes flying just above the water. The sight had calmed young Lloyd down, enough for them all to settle, have their rations, and then for Kratos to check their surroundings one more time.

The sky was overcast with a quilt work of stars, stretched out above them, so numerous that one could easily lose count. Kratos had almost been distracted by their patterns before he heard something that made him curious.

He expected to hear their child crying again, with Anna hushing him to sleep. He didn’t expect what he heard and then, not long after, confirm what he heard as he turned past a tree to the open area of their camp.

“Alright, Noishe… Are you ready now?”

Anna was kneeling on the ground before the giant Arshis, his great ears flicking, the animal still a bit taller than her by a head in this position. She wasn’t wearing her cloak, the moonlight reflecting off the Exsphere embedded just beneath her throat. It looked the same as it did on the day he had met her, with the skin around it still just slightly crinkled, and the Exsphere itself as dark as the night sky. 

And yet, she had a bounce to her feet lately, and she noticeably gained more muscle over the years, recovering from the treatment she had endured from the Desians over the years. To her side was Lloyd, seated on the grass, apparently preoccupied with something in his hands, though Kratos couldn’t identify just what.

He didn’t say a word, not yet. Instead, he watched from afar as Anna gave a nod and then stretched out her hand towards Noishe.

The animal looked at her hand, then back to her, followed by a tilt of his head.

“Come on, now… Shake!” She waved her arm up and down a bit, trying to catch Noishe’s attention with it. “Put your paw in my hand!”

She looked so determined, so confident, Kratos would have thought it’d be impossible for Noishe to refuse her request.

But he did, looking at her hand one more time before furiously scratching at his ear with a great hind leg.

Anna sighed. “How is this so difficult for you?”

Kratos chose that moment to clear his throat, moving past the trees to appear in the open. “That’s not how you will get him to do it.”

Anna flushed like she had been caught doing a crime, but remained kneeling where she was. “How so? Besides, he’s a dog! He needs to know these things!”

Kratos raised an eyebrow. “Does he? Also… I’ve already said he’s not truly a dog…”

“Well, he looks like one, I mean.” Anna turned back to Noishe, holding out her hand, but this time with even more feeling to it. “Shake, Noishe! Do it for Lloyd!”

Lloyd was seated on the ground, looking very happy with himself and banging something together that he was holding… Wait, what _was_ he holding? Were those tree branches…?

Noishe whined a little at Anna’s abrasiveness, at the fierce determination in her eyes. And in his nervousness, he fidgeted – then promptly sneezed right in her face.

Kratos made himself cough to cover up his laugh. Luckily, Lloyd’s own laughter was overtaking the glade.

“Ugh…Noishe…” Anna deftly tried to wipe away at her face. “I can hear you laughing, you know,” she said, side-eyeing Kratos.

“No, I just.. swallowed incorrectly,” Kratos tried to defend himself. But he came up to them, eyes going over the setup of their small camp. They had no tent, but small sleeping cots that would be a cozy fit with all three of them. Pots and pans lay in a small heap by the pond, and the campfire was already lit out, leaving the only illumination to the stars overhead and the fireflies below.

Just under a year after Lloyd had been born, they had been traveling ever since. And so had Noishe, always ready to carry up their excitable child that would grip onto his fur to hold on tight. Already, the Arshis was giving gentle nudge towards Lloyd, who looked at him with wide, brown eyes, then reach over to pat him happily.

“Noishe chooses to do what he wishes, that is all,” Kratos tried to explain.

Anna frowned. “You mean Noishe likes to make the fool out of me.”

“Isn’t that a bit severe?”

“Not if he’s as intelligent as you say!” Anna could still not be too mad at Noishe, who was doing his best to entertain their child. “He could at the very least humor me.”

“So, you just wanted to make Noishe follow orders.” Kratos didn’t blame her for that though. At times, he also wished Noishe would just listen… “That might be fruitless.”

“Every dog can be convinced, Kratos!” Anna said with complete assurance. “We probably just don’t have the right treats. We’ll have to go to the market and get him some chewy bones, maybe one of those kibble bits that I’ve heard of. Luin might even have it!”

“But Anna, I told you that he’s...” He stared, seeing Anna smirk at him, at the proud lift of her shoulders, at the way she crossed her arms, brown hair framing her face so well, despite them all having slept outdoors on the bare ground for the past few weeks. “Ah, you’re making fun of me.”

“Took you a while.” Anna stood up, brushing away the dirt from her smock. “Are you ready to finally get to bed? Or do we need another patrol around the perimeter?”

“You can never be too careful, you know…” He said, before once again looking to Lloyd. He had stopped petting Noishe, his attention always shifting to other things in the blink of an eye. Even for a child, he took vast interest in some things before quickly moving onto something else. Noishe whined slightly, but Lloyd was too busy with what he held.

“Why does he carry two sticks?” he asked Anna. They weren’t branches like he had feared before, but still…

“They’re his swords!” Anna said with confidence.

Kratos felt quite stupid. “Huh?”

“Swords! You know, like that one you’re holding.” She pointed at his sword that was wrapped to his waist. She sighed again. “I’m playing pretend, you know. Lloyd just wanted a new game. So I told him these were his new swords so he could be like you. Well?” She looked to him expectantly. “Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”

Her eyes seemed to sparkle, the pride in them so clear. For a moment he lost his breath, but he tried to hide it. She’d never let him live it down. “But why two of them?” He questioned. “You only typically wield one.”

“Oh, don’t be so boring. It’s a bit of fun! See, Lloyd likes it!” She excitedly pointed at Lloyd, who heard his name and stood up tall, holding up his wooden weapons. “See?”

“Those twigs look rather sharp…”

“He’ll be fine! They’re just – Ah, Lloyd! No, no, don’t chew on them…”

While Anna tried her best to keep Lloyd from getting a splinter, Kratos checked on Noishe. The Arshis had stuck by him for so long; through the Kharlan War, through Martel’s death, through all of Cruxis. Even if it had not always been in the same form, he had always stuck by Kratos for as long as he could.

So it was only chance that Kratos would know what made Noishe listen, rare as it was.

Once Lloyd was free of dual swords, pouting now that he no longer had them, Anna checked for any injuries over his small hands. It was only a short while before she stopped and turned around, feeling Kratos’ stare.

“What is it now?” she asked. Her eyelids lowered slightly. “You look suspicious right now…”

Happy to have caught her eye, Kratos’ gaze then moved straight to Noishe. The Arshis wagged his tail in a very dog-like manner, whining just a bit, but it was a whine that was happier. The kind of whine that Noishe would make when Lloyd would ride him, holding onto his green tuft of fur.

“Noishe, please allow me to have a handshake with you, if you so wish.” Kratos spoke in a serious manner, then slowly lifted his right hand towards the other.

Noishe didn’t even hesitate. He extended out his great paw, placing it perfectly within Kratos’ hand.

“Thank you,” Kratos said, giving the paw a shake before letting go.

He turned to see Anna gaping at him. Lloyd busy clapping his hands before rushing over to Noishe, now entranced with petting him once again. “That’s it?” she asked, incredulous. “How?”

“You have to ask him,” Kratos said, feeling a little proud himself. “For he is quite intelligent.”

“But I _did_ ask him!”

“You have to ask him nicely.”

“Are you saying I’m not nice…?”

Kratos allowed himself a smile. It had been many years since he could freely smile this way.

“Ah, I see,” Anna said, crossing her arms. “You’re making fun of _me_ now.”

And after that, Kratos had to laugh, just a little bit, while Anna couldn’t restrain a smile of her own. Lloyd looked to both parents curiously, not understanding but still happy he could keep petting all this soft fur of Noishe’s.

“At least Lloyd won’t make this same mistake,” Anna said, all while she moved a bit closer to Kratos. The night was getting a bit colder as it were. “Now he’ll know just what to do to get Noishe to listen.”

“You think so? He’s barely a year old.” Though, speaking as one who lived for over four millennia, maybe it was just his own memories of childhood that were more than blurred.

“Well, if he doesn’t, then you’ll just teach him, won’t you?” Anna nodded to that, satisfied. “I think that’s perfect.”

Kratos thought for a moment before taking her hand, watching their child play with their ‘dog,’ the fireflies dancing around them. “I suppose I will then,” he said, voice so low. He could at least do something as simple as that.


End file.
